Israel's DIM AURA have subversion on their minds with their second full-length album of Black Metal rebellion, "The Triumphant Age of Death."  There's a rock-n-roll spirit to the record that inspired the band to describe themselves as "forcing Black Metal elitists to headbang at gigs since 2010." The result is a proto-Black Metal vibe, a rollicking mixture of MOTORHEAD, VENOM and a dash Crust Punk, that combines nicely with second wave influences to create a near-perfect blend of sonically-pleasing furor that's not overwrought or underdone.

"Clockwork Negativism" is a roaring opener, starting with some open Post-Metal chords before picking up into a charging D-beat verse filled with sneering power.  The punkish feel extends into the chorus, that acts like a violent declaration of intent. "Towards the Plague" takes on more of an old school DARKTHRONE vibe, with a classically sinister tremolo-picked melody.

The production is simplified and clear, with no samples or unnecessary studio trickery.  It creates a presence that makes each chord change carry weight rather than get lost in a grey mist of reverb.  H.'s vocals are direct and full of emotion, slipping into intelligibility at just the right moments.  He can also let out a huge war cry with the best of them; just listen to "Black Heretic Hate," for some impressive prolonged screams.  He transitions nicely between this and a deranged preacher-type character that fits a lot of the slow foreboding passages.

Part of the trick here is a more thoughtful approach to pacing.  With more of a heavy rock bent, it never gets too chaotic.  "Blood Boiling Misanthropy" is a doomy soliloquy punctuated by some melodic riffing from Ferum and another otherworldly performance by our man, H.  The all-natural approach to the production does have the side effect of making some moments sound thin, like the start of "Death, Total Death," a song that plods a bit at almost seven minutes.  "Antinomianism" is a mood piece and a nice break in the action, before E.F.F.'s organic blasts assault the ear at the start of the title track.  It's here we're getting into the main story, a trio of tracks that represent that make up the albums grand climax and resolution.  "The Cruel," has some BEHEMOTH-style tribal drumming and Nergal-esque preaching, as if invoking an ancient spell that goes into full effect on closer"Mors Vincit Omnia," which expertly works its way to a brilliant finale that feels like Pandora's box opening (if Pandora's box was filled with, like, bees, or something).

The disc would make an interesting double-feature with Germany's CARRION MOTHER, who take a similar tact to their inspired, low-concept, no frills interpretation of modern Doom.  By cutting through the clutter and the trends, both of these bands have gotten to the heart of their respective mythical genres.  Oftentimes, that kind of simplification is the most rebellious of acts.<